Cat's Eye Marketing Blog

10 for 2010: Flab-Busting Marketing Tips for Busy People

It's Black Friday 2009. The beginning of the madness, the 35-day countdown to 2010.

I know it seems early, but 35 days, come on.

Each year, bloggers come out with posts in the last week of December: Be a Stunning Success in 2010 or Make Twice as Much in 2010 in Half the Time.

I hate those blog posts with the titles that promise you the world. Because if it were that easy, we'd all be living on the French Riviera with wedges of aged Camembert and glasses of fine Merlot. 

I like the simple, practical stuff. The marketing ideas that, if you put two or three of them together—and actually work them, daily—you'll see results. Not the go--golfing-and-check-your iPhone-for-the-thousands-you're-making-each-hour kind of results. Because, let's face it, that's just a lot of hype.

And since in the real world, we don't just all go golfing (or go to sleep) and watch the money roll in like a tsunami, I offer these ten tips.

The thing is, though, they'll work a whole lot better if you make time in the next 35 days to try at least one of them, hopefully more. This is the perfect day to start. That turkey stuffiness—or as my Twitter friend Sonia Simone calls, it "pie hangover"—has loosened its grip on you. And you are probably finished with the Black Friday crazies (if you even ventured out to the mall).

Here are my 10 marketing tips for 2010, from the simple to the takes-some-work-but-definitely-worth-it:

Simple

1. Create a 'smart' e-mail signature line. You have a free marketing tool to use every day—multiple times a day. Are you making the best use of it?

2. Collect results-focused testimonials for your website. Two parts here: know the most effective questions to ask and follow the right sequence of steps.

3. Write your first guest blog post. You can triple or quadruple traffic to your own site with a unique, well-written guest post. Here's how to do it.

4. Leave comments on other blogs regularly. There are many benefits to leaving comments on other blogs. Follow this simple, 5-step process.

 

A little more work

5. Grow your e-newsletter subscriber list. Maybe you have a newsletter but you'd like to have more than 27 subscribers. Because, man, it's hard work putting that quality content out each week. Grow your list and you'll grow your business.

6. Create a marketing calendar—and follow it. Map out where you want to go and how you will get therewith a simple calendar. Start with just 30 days and build from there.

7. Write (or refresh) your website's FAQ page. Your customers might have the slightest, silliest littlequestion that, if you answered it on your website's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, you'd get a sale. Why not tackle (or rewrite) it?

 Even more work (but definitely worth it)

8. Start a blog. If you don't have one, it might be dizzying to think about, but consider starting your own blog. With WordPress, you can manage it easily.

9. Send out an e-newsletter. If you break it into pieces, it's not so hard to do. Just be sure to get permission from prospects and customers first; choose your delivery service with care; create qualitycontent; focus your formatting on readability and the needs of web scanners and skimmers; and find your unique voice.

10. Redesign your website. Take a look at your current site. Is it clean and easy-to-navigate? Doesit really reflect all the cool things you are doing now? Watch for signs that you may need a makeover. If you're thinking maybe so, here are some website design trends for 2010. 

If these tips were helpful, you can get ideas like this delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning when you sign up for Marketing Hotspots, our free weekly e-tip. 

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll buy stuff.: 5 Strategies for 'emotion-based marketing'

There's a big fat war raging. We've always been told that people buy based on emotions, but need to justify their purchase with logic.

They satisfy the heart before the head kicks in to tell them they've made the right choice because…blah, blah blah (insert boring reasons here).

But, the thing is, two nights ago I was in a fun audience (how many educational events do you go to where you get to sit in the auditorium and sip on wine as the presenter goes through his PowerPoint show?).

Anyway, this semi-famous marketing expert from the cold white north (Canada) was talking about social media as a marketing tool for businesses when he turned around and said:

"Of course you would never use emotions in B2B (business-to-business) marketing."

Kind of caught me off guard.

 B2B, B2C, Aren't They All Just People?

We forget that business-to-business and business-to-consumer have something quite obvious in common.

Consumers are people who buy stuff.

Businesses are run by people who buy stuff.

So why treat B2B marketing any differently?

My 5 strategies for emotion-based marketing

Inside that business owner in the stuffy shirt is a real person. She laughs. She cries. She likes songs and movies because they make her feel. She has a heart and a head. And when her emotions are touched, she tends to remember the message more.

Here are some ways to reach her:

 1.    Tell her stories. 

You can do a lot with the right story, one that appeals to the senses, one that shows your personality and voice, and paints a picture.

 2.    Use analogies. 

People love an analogy because they "get it" right away. And because they are visual, analogies touch a deep, emotional part of the brain. We explained why we dumped our brand new business by comparing the needy "baby" to our jealous 16-year-old, Cat's Eye Marketing. Use this powerful tool when you can. 

3.    Make him laugh. 

John Cleese, one of my heroes, said it perfectly: "If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas." I'm not talking cruel or sarcastic humor here, or just telling jokes. I mean the kind of humor that makes us all see that we are a lot alike. The kind that brings us together.

4.    Scare her (in a nice way). 

Don't underestimate the fear factor. We all have fears of losing something or someone. Of not doing something right. Of losing our best clients. Of our business failing because we made the wrong decision, went with the wrong vendor, spent too much money on a solution that didn't work. Find a way to identify that fear, then walk your client to the solution which, of course, is your product or service.

5.    Satisfy other emotional 'cravings.' 

There are tons of these. It takes a little time and skill to hit on the one your customer may be feeling, but it's worth it. Put yourself in their shoes, find the right emotional craving, then satisfy it. 

What about you? Do you think emotions should be used in B2B marketing? Do you ever market to people's emotions? 

Good Stuff You Might Have Missed: Friday Customer Relationship Gems

Sometimes, there is so much stuff out there that good things slip right by us.

I've been blogging once a week for almost two years now. I also write a weekly marketing e-tip. Content overlaps every once in a while, but not much.

What I believe

I believe in giving stuff away, lots of stuff. I believe that trust comes with generosity.

And I don't like hidden agendas.

They say:

"Subscribe to my cool, very helpful newsletter."

They mean: "I'm going to sell you as much stuff as I can in it."

They say: "Want short, useful tips you can read in 5 minutes or less?"

They mean: "If you are a speed reader, you can read my newsletter in 5 minutes. The tip is at the very end, after all the invitations to buy my e-books and attend my paid events."

Really, I don't like hidden agendas.

My Friday gift for you. Actually, 5 Friday gifts

Here . Some free stuff on customer relationship marketing. In case you can't afford those expensive CRM programs or that $200 dollar an hour-consultant.

Now these don't substitute for in-depth consulting, but they are things you can do—practical things—to improve your marketing and your relationship \with your prospect and customers, right now.

If you find this helpful, you can always sign up for my free (and "hype"-free) Marketing Hotspots, delivered to your in-box every Tuesday.

If you don't want to subscribe, that's cool, too. But accept these gifts anyway (if you'd like):

Multi-Sensory Marketing: A Tale of Three Little Customers- Did you know that your customers respond to your marketing and advertising messages based on how they best process information: visual, auditory or tactile? Find out how to use the right marketing strategy for each of these unique customer groups. 

5 Tips for Following Prospects and Customers without Being a Stalker- Ever been hit with the hard sell moments after exchanging business cards with someone? Eew! Learn how not to be that clueless person. How to keep in touch without being obnoxious.

Cookies, Milk and Scraped Knees: 6 Things Your Customers Wish You Knew- Find out what your customer is really feeling when they are reading your marketing copy. And how to recognize and address them.

Promises, Promises: 5 Ways to Build Customer Trust with E-Marketing- There's  a lot of slimy e-marketers out there. Here's how not to be one of them. How to build the customer trust that leads to sales.

5 Steps to Finding 'Warm' Prospects: Melting the Ice- Chipping ice off the windshield is hard. But of you take some time to warm the car up first…Well, you get the idea. How to warm up your cold prospects.

Okay, that's it. Hope these tips are useful. I write them with you in mind. Every week. Sign up here for a free subscription. But only if you want to. 

How to Find Spectacular Free and Low-Cost Images for Your Blog Posts

I've had several questions about how I find my blog post images since my post last week, 5 Ways the Right Photo Can Get You More Blog Readers.

Okay, here it is. 

My Cliff Notes version of sources for intriguing, low-cost photos. Most I have tried at least once and some I go back to over and over again.

Keep in mind that there are tons of other ones out there. If you want to explore some more, just do a google search.

Two more things. When an image is offered royalty-free, that means you pay for the image once and can use it as many times as you like.

Also, some of these companies offer several different versions of the same image, based on lowest to highest resolution. For blog posts, you just need the lowest res one, which, happily, is always the lowest cost.

Visit these sites for lots of great blog photo choices

iStockphoto

This is my favorite. Most of the images in my blog posts come from IStockphoto.

The upside: Wide selection (more than 5 million images); outstanding quality. Royalty-free. iStockphotos is especially good if you are looking for animal images, which I use a lot. All you need to provide at signup is name and email address.

The downside: You do need to pay a nominal fee for usage, usually no more than one or two dollars 

How to get started: I usually buy a number of credits, which become my "bank." I buy my imaged with my credits and restock my credit bank when it runs low. Sign up here. 

Dreamstime

Also have used this one. Quality comparable to iStockphoto. Some free. Most for a fee.

The upside: More than 6 million images by 73,000 photographers. Royalty-free. A limited number of free images.

The downside: Can browse through free images, but it's time-consuming. Most of the better quality photos have a usage charge and, still, ae not quite the quality of iStock. They also requitre more personal information during account set-up.

How to get started: Register for an account here. 

FlickrCreativeCommons

Don't use this one quite as frequently, but occasionally find a photo that is perfect for a specific need.

The upside: Most images are free. Has a good selection of landscape/vegetation photos. Attribution licensing category gives you the royalty-free right to copy, distribute and display the copyrighted photos—as long as you give the photographer credit.

The downside: Consumes gobs of time because you have to wade through tons of images, some of dubious quality, to find what you need. Sometimes the credit and link back to the photographer can spoil the aesthetic beauty of a photo.

How to get started: Sign up here.

 

Stock.xchng

Haven't used this one, but a colleague, Christa Dunk, recommended it and said she loves it.

The upside: Large variety of no-cost, royalty-free images. 350,000 photos by more than 30,000 photographers.

The downside: Like FlickrCreativeCommons, it takes time to browse, sort and find. Need to provide lots of personal information to sign up. Be sure to read the fine print under Terms of Use.

How to get started: Register for an account.

Hope this helps. Do you have sources for good blog post images? If you do, would love if you add to the collective wisdom here.

Oh, yes. And I got the photo for this post from iStockphoto. 

'Imaginary Friends': Why Fakey E-mail Messages Turn Off Your Prospects

At first I thought I was just weird. I don't fit the norm.

Okay, I guess I've always known that. I have a highly tuned BS-o-meter. I can smell phoniness a mile away.

So last week, when I got 12 personally addressed e-mails from perfect strangers with my name neatly inserted with some program's merge function, I was prompted to write this letter:

Dear Email Marketer:

I know that mass e-mail marketing is a numbers game. You are looking for a 1-3% favorable response.

And yes, with a B.A. degree in psychology, I understand what's at play here. People like to get messages from other humans, not robots. We like to feel special. Unique.

But we also get it when we are being, well, used.

Manipulated.

Problem is, when you insert my name randomly, I don't feel all that special. In fact, it screams SPAM!

But personalizing the message gets you more opens and clicks, you say. 

Well, yes, it might. But too many times the message that follows the "Dear Judy" is stiff, formal, stilted, and highly impersonal. So you lose me.

Don't pretend you know me

Judy, save 40% if you act today!!!!

Hi Judy, I have some terrific news for you! 

What would you think, Judy, if I told you could take a luxury cruise to Puerto Vallarta for just $99?

When I get a hard-sell email from someone I don't know, and they have inserted my name in the first line, I'm not really all that impressed. It's not like I say: Wow, they know my name!

It's more like: Who the H*** is this?

I'm a real person

Finding my name and sprinkling it throughout your sales message? Profoundly simple.

But gathering enough information about me to know the kinds of products I like, my fears, my deepest needs? Not so much.

A truly personalized e-mail marketing message, one that hits me in the perfect spot at the perfect time, is built with careful attention to things like:

• which emails I have opened before

• which parts of your website I clicked through to after receiving, say, a particular e-newsletter

• how I found you in the first place and what kind of relationship I already have with you

• what offers I have responded to in the past

• and a zillion other details

Call it what you want. Target marketing. List segmentation. Or something else. Just don't think you know me because you know my name. 

It's so superficial. 

Doing What You Think You Can't: Marketing for Scaredy-Cats

If you are a small business, chances are you've seen it all. You've done it all—or most of it.

As solopreneurs and small biz owners, we wear a million hats.

Seriously. I take out the garbage. I clean the office because my irresponsible cleaning man (notice I didn't say woman) never shows up.

Oh, wait. I don't have a cleaning man.

I make frequent trips to the bank to make sure the business checking account isn't in Overdraft Land. I make the coffee. And pour it. And deliver it to myself. And wash the cup. I fan the business bills out, then put them in neat little piles with dark pink sticky backs: Mail on the 5^th. Mail on the 10^th. Mail on the 20^th.

I answer my own phone (when I'm not in the bathroom). I take breaks to throw slices of whole wheat bread over the deck to the mama deer and her baby. Okay, that one was a little weird.

But what is it that we like to do?

When we—you and me— are deciding how to spend our workday, especially when it comes to the marketing part, we don't just throw a dart and see where it lands. (Well, maybe some of us do.)

Some things we do only because there is no one else to do them.

Then there are the parts of running our business that get us excited. The things that don't seem like a chore. The reason we went into business in the first place.

Funny how it works.

The things I like to do are the things I do best.

Or maybe it's the other way around.

I am best at the things I like to do.

Okay, if you don't have a left brain, like me, you are probably way beyond confused by now. You were probably the one who skipped right over those SAT questions on deductive reasoning.

For me, what I like to do, and what I do best are one and the same: crawling deep inside my brain and excavating new ideas. Telling stories. Not fiction (although that's cool, too). Stories that help small biz owners sell more of their products and services.

And blogging. I love to blog.

I like writing our marketing etips, coming up with new ways to get solopreneurs excited about marketing.

And shaking snow globes and watching the flakes fall. Still trying to figure out how to tie that into my writing. 

These are all solitary things, these things I like to do.

Does this blog post have a point? (As Steve Martin says, 'It makes it so much more interesting for the reader.')

Well, yes, I do have a point.

Many "experts" tell us to focus on our strengths, the things God, the universe, or whatever you want to call it, gifted us with.

You know, that day the fairy sprinkled you with dust and said, "You shall be able to attach a soup spoon to your nose and it will stay even if you shake your head." (Or whatever you’ve been gifted with.)

For me, it was turning out a decent sentence. Sometimes while making people laugh.

It never was giving a speech or acting in a play or, say, being a guest on a live radio show.

So what I did a month ago was a big deal. I climbed the steps to the high dive, and said (looks over edge nervously), "Okay. I'll do that one thing that ties my stomach in a double –strength knot. I will be interviewed on the radio."

Meaning live radio. No rewrites until I get the words perfect. No delete key if I screw up. Oh, and did I say it would be live?

Do the thing you thought you could not do.

When my daughter was in 8^th grade, her middle school had a program called "Dragon Slayers." Each month they would choose something the kids had never done, something that sounded scary hard to them. And they would all go out and do it.

Building self-esteem, they called it. 

Once they went rock rappelling. You know, that thing where you walk backwards down the face of a mountain with only a harness, gear, anchors, rope, and a large cup of courage? 

Another time they went white water rafting. 

Well, I decided to do the thing my middle school self fears most: being on stage. On May 15, I will be a guest on The Brent & Brandi Radio Show.

I got charmed into appearing to talk about storytelling and content marketing by the talented Brent Haeseker and the captivating Brandi Pierce, co-hosts extraordinaire. Please visit their websites and see all the other cool things they are doing.

If you have an hour—which you will never get back, mind you— tune in here. Would love to know that I have a silent, but supportive, audience. 

That's Friday, May 15, 1pm PST, 4pm Eastern time. Somewhere around 2pm, I think, if you are on Central time. 

I'll be there. Because I have a mountain to climb. Or a dragon to slay. Or whatever. 

How to Be a Sensitive, Pony-tailed Marketing Guy

You have a brand. You have a marketing plan. Absolutely, you need those two things. You can't get noticed without the brand and you can't find people to buy your stuff without the plan.

All good.

But how exactly do people choose to brand themselves online? What marketing and sales strategies do they use and why? This past week, there have been some interesting discussions going on in the blogosphere about these questions. 

Now there's one guy in particular. You may have seen him. He's low-key, casually dressed, with a charming personality. He's not like what some people refer to as the online "carnival barker." He sells those information products, you know the ones where you can make $2 million in a weekend.

Tiny disclaimer: the title of this post is a little misleading. This guy doesn't have a ponytail per se. It's long hair, though, blond and straggly-looking, with locks he keeps pushing behind his ears in his videos.

Some see that as endearing.

Others, the ones with highly-tuned crap-o-meters? Maybe not so much.

Now I'm not going to judge his credibility because I have never bought his product. I'm just sayin', a lot of people envy him. That's why they buy his stuff. They want to be like him. They want the house in La Jolla. And the surfboards. Oh, yeah. Some of them want those.

But forget for a moment that he has thousands of rabid fans. That he's taught them to make fistfuls of money (yes, while they sleep). That his marketing either makes you want to puke or pull out your credit card.

Fact is, he is successful at convincing us—the poor, lazy ones who want instant fame but don't really want to work to get it—to buy his information product.

One of the top bloggers in the world calls him an "extreme anti-marketing personality. " I guess that would make his brand the "anti-marketing marketer brand."

But when you break his messages down, they're really not that different from the old-school direct mail sales letters—except that he's the sensitive, pony-tailed surfer dude in a t-shirt and jeans, in a full-color video, sitting on a lawn chair in his backyard.

(You're wondering how I know about old-school direct mail sales letters, aren't you. I know because I went through a hugely expensive course two years ago, when I was thinking about starting an Internet-based information publishing business. From that, and the hugely expensive direct response copywriting conference that followed, I learned all the secrets to writing those letters. You know the ones I mean. Those really long ones with the huge-font headlines in red, followed by Sign up now!)

After watching his video, I'm seeing a little of those same techniques. Okay, a lot.

Sensitive, pony-tailed marketing guy's message playbook:

1.    "I'm just a 'regular guy.' Hey, I'm a surfer dude. I'm just like you. I like to have fun. I don't like to work hard. Buy this video program and it'll be like I'm right there in your living room, except I won't be drinking all your beer.

The strategy: Build trust. Show empathy for "the little guy."

2.    "I shouldn't be telling you this." I'm letting you in on a secret. At my last seminar, my attorney came on stage and made everyone sign a no-compete agreement. I'm sending you this 'secret early link.' (Leans in and whispers.)

The strategy: Confide in prospects. Make then feel part of a special club.

3.    "This is not like that other junk you wasted your money on." I know, you've ordered those other products before. You read a little bit and then thought, '"What am I supposed to do with this?" It was confusing, so you just put it away on the shelf. This program is not like that. It is unlike anything you've ever seen before.

The strategy: Differentiate yourself from the "enemy." 

4.    "It's really easy or I wouldn't be doing it." Now I'm not the kind of guy who likes complicated things. If it's too hard, I just won't do it. But this worked for me. And I don't just tell you, I show you how I made $3.8 million in 24 hours.

The strategy: Reveal a weakness (he's a little lazy), an "Achilles Heel," to show you are no better than your prospect.

5.    "I'll be raising the price in the future, assuming I offer this product again." This offer won't last. Time is running out. You will miss out if you wait. Act now.

The strategy: Create scarcity and a sense of urgency.

6.    "I'm so confident you'll be blown away by this, I'm offering an unconditional 60-day guarantee." I'm showing you that I stand behind my product 100 percent. In fact, if you loved every bit of the package except for DVD #4, send just that one DVD back and I'll refund the purchase price for the entire program.

The strategy: Use a super-strong guarantee when you sense that it's hard for your prospects to believe your promises. Remind them that they have nothing to lose. 

So what do you think? Can we learn anything about marketing and branding from this surfer dude?

Is what he is doing good salesmanship or manipulation? Does it work for his brand but maybe not for somebody else's? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

5 Rules for Getting More Customers with E-Letters Rule #5: Find Your Unique Voice

All right. Here you are on your last step on the journey to the perfect e-letter. I saved this part for last. It's the thing that doesn't always come so easily. The part you'll keep working on.

It's your voice. What makes you unique as a writer. When you find it, you'll know.

You'll say to yourself, "Okay. This is me."

And your readers won't have to see your name on your e-letter to know it's you.

I remember the day the instructor in my Gotham Writers' Workshop creative nonfiction class said to me, "I think you've done it. You found your voice!"

Up until then, it was elusive. I kept searching for it—as if I would find it someday, under the couch cushion with the quarters and that slipper sock that disappeared.

It's not that complicated. Your voice is really just your authentic self. It's writing that uses words only you would use—words that make you different from every other writer.

Finding your voice sounds like you've lost it, but maybe you never had it

It's as if someone or something in our past has taken a small broom and beat us, slowly, until our real voices were buried deep down inside. Maybe it was our high school English teacher. The Chicago Manual of Style or the Copywriter's Handbook (sorry, Bob Bly). The dictionaries and thesauruses.

If you don't pay attention, your voice will appear

We all know the feeling. We sit down at the computer—frozen, crazy, watching every word that comes out. We read what we've written. It sounds klutzy, or stuffy, or full of importance. Like who is that person, anyway?

You know her. She's the one who only comes out when you sit down in front of the keyboard. She's your inner critic. The crabby aunt who used to run her white-gloved finger over your coffee table hoping to find dust.

"Why did you use that word? she says. "It's not big enough. Why, that's not even a full sentence with a noun and verb. You can't put a period there!"

And on and on she goes.

 Here are some ways to get the crabby aunt into a big glass jar and screw the lid on, nice and tight (I'm sorry. Was that cruel?):

1. Tape record yourself. Take a topic you know a lot about and just start talking. After a while, you'll forget you are taping. Play it back and listen for the natural tone and rhythms of your voice. For more tips, see our post on conversational marketing on the web.   
2. Free-write in a journal. If you have never gone through Julie Cameron's The Artist's Way,I say, go out and buy it now. That book, along with Cameron's advice to write what she calls Morning Pages every day, were key to my breaking through and finding my true voice.
3. Read, read, read. In the process, you'll absorb other writers' voices, sometimes trying them on for size, which will eventually help you find your own.
4. Look at some of your sent e-mail messages. A lot of times, we write our e-mails so quickly that they are closer to our natural voice. Any particular words or phrases you use a lot?
5. Lastly and most important, write like you talk. People don't get many handwritten letters anymore, but that's pretty close to how people talk. Picture one reader, just one, and talk directly to her. Send a "handwritten letter" to her.

If you want a little help with discovering your true voice, or developing killer e-letter content, or creating an e-letter design that pops, e-mail us at Cat's Eye Marketing. We'll help you with just the one problem you're having—or get you off the ground with a design and copywriting package to set you up with your first 5 issues.

For more advice on marketing and self-promotion, sign up for our free weekly marketing e-tips, delivered to your inbox every Tuesday.

Hope you found this five-part series on marketing with e-letters useful. If you missed a couple of them, just click on the links below.

5 Rules for Getting More Customers with E-Letters

#1: Raise Your Hand and Ask Nicely

#2: Pick Your Delivery Partner with Care

#3: Deliver Killer Content

#4: Maximize Readability

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